Baby Boomers Are Already On Board with Social Media, Are You?

There’s a lot of attention paid to how generation Y likes to shop. Marketers can target generation Y using social media,and develop mobile solutions, such as mobile apps that consumers in this age group will use habitually. But how do you target a less thought of group like Baby Boomers using social media?

First an important fact to know, Baby Boomers, typically defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, are using social media, and the rate at which they are using social media is increasing. Baby Boomers in addition, have more disposable income than any other age group, and their looking to spend it. So how can marketers engage and build relationships with Baby Boomers using online social media?

The trick is to keep it simple and to be genuine and reliable. Baby Boomers are more likely to value the traditional tactics used in building relationships even in an online social media format. A plus to working with Baby Boomers is they don’t care about your bells and whistles, but they do care that you are true to your word and follow through on what you promise.

Be Genuine, Be Reliable, Keep it Simple

To build trust you need to be genuine and reliable. Mean what you say, and do what you promise. Nothing from your employees to the reviews you receive for your products should be fake. A Baby Boomer can see right through such schemes, and is more likely to run for the hills and never return to do business with you again.

Building trust also requires dedicated resources, both time and bodies. Your team needs to be dedicated and reliable, which means they will spend a lot of time online entrenched in social media platforms actively engaging Baby Boomers. If your a really small business you still have to put in the time and resources needed to interact with the customer.

Listen more and talk less. Really make an effort to understand what is asked of you. Baby Boomers know what they want and they are not shy about telling you what it is, so listen. Be flexible enough to communicate and engage wherever your audience takes you. Use different forms of communication that are simple and direct, not flashy. Be proactive in your communication to help build lasting trusting relationships. Baby Boomers want to know you will be there to help them find what they need when needed. If Baby Boomers don’t trust you they won’t share you with anyone else, unless it’s to tell them you're not to be trusted.

And finally make their patronage a habit!

Understand that discounts and pats on the back alone will not win you loyalty from Baby Boomers. You have to provide reliable, genuine, simple experiences to gain their trust and keep their repeat business. Once those things are in place, Baby Boomers will appreciate your discounts and pats on the back, which reinforces the likelihood that using your brand or shopping at your store will likely become a habit.

The time you spend engaging Baby Boomers through social media will also help you collect data enabling you to understand what other mobile solutions will benefit this group of users, such as apps development. The more you know, the more likely you will be able to build a trusting and long lasting relationship with these consumers, while selling your product.

I would be interested to know what your experience has been. Please share your story or experience. Any questions or thoughts would be appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you.